All taekwondo techniques have their seat in the danjeon [단전; pronounced: dahn-john]. Danjeon, known as “dāntián” in Chinese and “tanden” in Japanese is a fundamental concept in far eastern arts.

The danjeon is the body’s physical centre of gravity, horizontally inline with the hips.

The danjeon, situated in the abdomen, can be found about three fingers width below and two fingers width behind the navel.

Directly translated from the Han characters 丹田, danjeon means cinnabar, which is mercury sulphide (HgS), a mineral compound with a deep red colour. It can also mean “red field” or “elixir field”. In the martial arts, especially in the internal styles, the danjeon is considered to be the storage place for the life force, or “Ki”. Less esoterically the danjeon is the physical centre of gravity of the body, and is horizontally inline with the hips.

Saying that “all taekwondo techniques have their seat in the danjeon”, simplistically means that all taekwondo techniques start from the hips. taekwondo’s Theory of Power states that “the hip and abdomen is jerked slightly before the hands and feet in any action”, “the maximum body weight is applied with the motion by turning the hip”, “thus the hip rotates in the same direction as that of the attacking or blocking tool”, and by using the knee-spring action one “slightly [raises] the hip at the beginning of the motion and [lowers] the hip at the moment of impact…” It is from the hips that many hand techniques are propelled, and where most reaction force movements come to rest.

The danjeon is the body’s physical centre of gravity, horizontally inline with the hips.
“Hip”, as used above, in the Theory of Power can be read to also mean “danjeon”.
Martial artists consider the danjeon the calming or balancing principle for both mind and body. By focussing on the danjeon one can better keep ones balance, and also calm the mind. It is the point of all equilibrium. Aikido calls it the “One-Point”. It is for this reason that martial arts like Aikido and Hapkido, which focus on upsetting the equilibrium of their opponents, also focus on “attacking” their opponents’ danjeon.

A better understanding of the danjeon will greatly improve your technical skill.